ANC earbuds should not be misconstrued as a form of hearing protection, as confirmed by experts. According to ENT Dr. Joe Donzelli, these earbuds do not provide pure hearing protection and do not prevent inner ear trauma. Despite their noise-canceling capabilities, ANC earbuds do not deter the damaging effects of high volume and prolonged exposure to loud sounds. However, using ANC earbuds to block out ambient noise may result in the user not needing to turn up the volume as loud to hear the in-ear sound, potentially reducing exposure to damaging decibel levels. It is important to note that using earbuds at high volumes, with or without noise cancellation, can still result in damage to the inner ear. Therefore, it is crucial to be mindful of volume levels when using ANC earbuds.
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